About 7 hours West of Austin. Big Bend NP is a huge park that sits along the famous Rio Grande River.

Since the Eco Ranch was so close to the National Park we were able to visit it twice on our days off from work. Big Bend is a huge park! We felt like we mostly drove it. We didn’t even make it the eastern side of the park.

We also got to experience the park during a government shut down, which wasn’t a big deal for us. The Visitor Centers and restaurants were closed, but we didn’t need those.

The park is a combination of desert and mountains. It was unlike any park we’ve been to yet. It is a very dry place, but there are trees that manage to grow in the higher elevations.